Stars top Hounds to match franchise record with 15th straight win

A wild game scoring-wise, the North Stars remained ahead by at least a pair the entire night, after coming out swinging to a 4-0 lead by the midway mark of the first.

Blake’s fourth of the season opened the scoring, making it 1-0 on a quick wrister from the slot at the 6:08 mark of the opening frame.

Just 17 seconds later, Owen Underhill added his fourth on a lightning wrister of his own, followed by Girod’s first of the game, and sixth of the year, just eight seconds after that to make it 3-0 Stars in a blink.

Girod’s second of the game and seventh of the year stretched the lead to 4-0 Battlefords, set up on a dime of a cross-crease pass from a pinching Jordan Grill, making the game all but a runaway early.

The Hounds would get one back to make it 4-1 on Sam Kroon’s sixth of the year that pinballed home, though the Battlefords would quickly respond again. This time, courtesy of Kesslering’s first of the game and 18^th of the campaign, just seconds into a 5-on-3 power play to make it a 5-1 Stars’ lead at the end of the first.

North Stars Steven Kesslering (#24) and Jordan Gibbs (#3), pictured here against Notre Dame. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

In the second, Bell’s first of the night and 31^st of the year made it a 6-1 lead on a one-touch pass from Zane Florence, redirecting a Wurst pass from the corner to set up the scoring play.

The Hounds rattled off three straight midway through the second, with Davis Sato’s second, Rocsyn Bird’s fifth and Matteo Speranza’s third to cut the deficit to 6-4, though again the Stars would respond prior to the intermission when Waldie cashed in for his sixth to make it 7-4 Stars.

In the third, Bell’s second of the game on the power play made it 8-4 on his 32^nd of the season in just his 31^st game. Kesslering then added his second power play marker for his 19^th of the year to make it 9-4.

Will Dawson, who Kotai stopped on a penalty shot in the second period, did tally his 15^th in the third on a quick shot in tight, followed by Dane Probe’s seventh, but that is as close as the Hounds would come. 9-6 Stars, the final.

With the win, the North Stars extend their league leading record to 32-0-2-1. With 67 points, the Stars now sit 20 points up on the field in the standings.

The North Stars will now have a shot to take sole possession of the franchise win streak record when they aim for their 16^th straight Friday night in Weyburn.

Friday’s game will be slightly earlier than usual, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7 p.m. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on 1050 CJNB.

Scoring summary

First period:

6:08 BAT Brad Blake (4) ASST: Tynan Ewart, Easton Rask 1-0 BAT

6:25 BAT Owen Underhill (4) ASST: Colby Bear 2-0 BAT

6:33 BAT Riley Girod (6) ASST: Owen Underhill, Colby Bear 3-0 BAT

9:53 BAT Riley Girod (7) ASST: Jordan Grill 4-0 BAT

18:04 ND Sam Kroon (6) ASST: Jacob Ligi (PP) 4-1 BAT

19:42 BAT Steven Kesslering (18) ASST: Holden Doell, Tynan Ewart 5-1 BAT

Second period:

3:53 BAT Kian Bell (31) ASST: Zane Florence, Emmett Wurst 6-1 BAT

4:31 ND Davis Sato (2) ASST: Antoine Saint-Onge, Dane Probe 6-2 BAT

17:10 ND Rocsyn Bird (5) ASST: Cyprus Smith-Davis, Carson Baylis 6-3 BAT

17:24 ND Matteo Speranza (3) ASST: Kyle Kalamaras 6-4 BAT

18:50 BAT Evan Waldie (6) ASST: Brad Blake 7-4 BAT

Third period:

6:04 BAT Kian Bell (33) ASST: Steven Kesslering, Tynan Ewart (PP) 8-4 BAT

7:51 BAT Steven Kesslering (19) ASST: Jackson Allan (PP) 9-4 BAT

12:53 ND Will Dawson (15) ASST: Jacob Ligi 9-5 BAT

17:31 ND Dane Probe (7) ASST: Will Dawson, Jaryd Sych (PP) 9-6 BAT

9-6 BAT, the final

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Stars top Hounds to match franchise record with 15th straight win

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